Freight-car.



No. 789,253. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

v T. P. BURKE.

FREIGHT CAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witmzoow Wow umucmmnzu av 5mm mm! m No. 789,253. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905-T. F. BURKE.

FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 190.4. 4

4 SHEETS-SKEET 2- glnvanroz 4M @mw No. 789.253. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

T. F. BURKE.

FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED P15131 3. 1904.

4 SHEETSSHEBT 3.

61 Roz mu;

PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

T. F. BURKE.

FREIGHT CAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.23,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Witweoow NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 789,253, dated May 9,1905.

Application filed February 23, 1904. Serial No. 194,748.

To a whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, THOMAS F. BURKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newcastle, in the county of Lawrence and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFreight-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to freight-cars for carrying grain, coal, brokenstone, &:c., and has for one of its objects the provision of a car ofthe hopper-bottom type in which the upper'part of the body is built ofwood and the lower part of metal plates.

Another feature of my invention is that the superstructure is supportedby I-beams, the hopperbottom being divided thereby and having spoutsleading to the sides of the car, where the openings are formed forunloading the car.

The openings atthe sides of the car are closed by means of slidingdoors, the operating means for said doors being so arranged that theyare opened and closed simultaneously. I

The advantages of my invention will more fully appear hereinafter and byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side viewin elevation of my car; Fig. 2, a top plan view; Fig. 3, a bottom view;Fig. 4, a cross-section through the car, and Fig. 5 an end view of thecar made on a smaller scale.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

1 represents the center beams, which are preferably of the I-beam typeand which are supported in any desired manner by the trucks of the car.(Not shown.)

2 represents the side sills, made of channeliron and connected to thebeams 1 by means of transverse I-beams 3 over the trucks andchannel-beams 4 for the ends of the car-frame or bumpers.

5 represents braces for strengthening the joint between side sills 2 andtransverse beams 3.

At each end of the car-frame is erected an upright frame consisting ofend posts 6, hori- Zontal beams 7, connecting said posts intermediate oftheir length, and posts 8 for strengthening the middle of said beams 7.9 represents ribs made of angle-iron secured to said beams 7 andextending obliquely downward below the central portion of side sills 2,the lower ends of said ribs being connected by horizontal plates 10.

1 1 represents bars connecting central beams 1 and plates 10 to bracethe structure and also support the bottom of the hopper, which will bedescribed hereinafter. The ribs 9 are braced by means of angle-ironposts 12 and angular brackets 13. a

14 represents ribs of angle-iron secured at one end to beams 7intermediate of their ends and extending downwardly parallel with ribs9, said ribs 14 being braced and supported by uprights 15 and angularbrackets 17.

The sides of the body of the car 18 are made, preferably, of timber andsecured toupright posts 19, of angle-iron, supported by side sills 2. Atthe lowest point, or immediately over plates 10, an opening is formed,as shown at 20, said openings being normally closed by means of doors21,slid ably mounted in grooved guides 22.

The doors 21 are operated by means of arms 23, secured to a rock-shaft24, journaled on center beams 1 and in the sides 18, one end of each arm23 being connected by a link 25 with the bottom of the door 21 on thecorresponding side of the car.

26 represents a socket on each arm 23 to receive the end of a handle 27to swing the arm, it being understood that the operation of swinging oneof the arms also turns the rock-shaft 24 and the arm 23 on the oppositeside of the car. It will be apparent by this construction that bothdoors may be opened or closed from either side of the car.

28 represents metal plates extending from the top of center beams 1downwardly and slanting outwardly toward the openings 20,

and 29 metal plates secured to ribs 9 and 14 and overlapped on plates28.

30 represents base-plates supported by the lower ends of bars 11 andplates 10, secured to plates 28 and 29 and slanting outwardly to thebottom of openings 20. This construction of the lower portion of thecar, consisting of plates 28 and 29 and base-plates 30, forms a hopperon each side of center beams 1 and opening outwardly to the sides of thecar.

Above the upper end of plates 29 the bottom 32 of the car is formed oftimber secured to ribs 9 and 14, and the ends 33 are also formed oftimber secured to posts 6 and resting on horizontal beams 7.

34 represents an angular metal plate secured over the center beams 1 tothrow the contents of the car to the two side hoppers. It will beapparent that plate 34 may be secured to plates 28 and form a continuousstructure or may be secured independently from said plates28, asdesired.

It will be understood from the above description that my inventionconsists of the construction of a car-body of timber having in its lowerportion-hoppers extending to each side of the car, the hopper-openingsbeing at the sides of the car and controlled by sliding doors operatedsimultaneously from either side of the car-body. This structure ofcarbody is sustained by a frame consisting of center beams, preferablymade of the I-beam type, side sills, of channel-iron, upright endframes, and suitable braces, ribs, posts. &c. By constructing the sides18 and bottom 32 of timber, while all below the bottom plates 32 are ofmetal, I obtain a car of maximum durability at a minimum cost and alsoavoid the disfiguration incidental to metal-side cars caused by bulgingand indentations. It will be also apparent that the details ofconstruction hereinabove described may be altered without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In afreight-car, central beams, side sills, transverse beams connecting saidcentral beams and side sills, upright frames on each end of the car,ribs extending longitudinally of the body of the car and secured to eachend frame and the central beams and side sills, and the car-bodysupported by said ribs, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a freight-car, dump-openings at each side of the car,vertically-sliding doors to cover said dump-openings. arms pivotallymounted on each side of the car, links pivotally connecting each armwith the door on the corresponding side of the car, and means to operatesaid arms, substantially as shown and described. 1

3. In a freight-car, central beams of the I- beam type running the fulllength of the car, side sills of channel-steel, transverse beamsconnecting the central beams and side sills, a frame erected at eachendv of the car, ribs extending longitudinally of the body of the carand supported by said frames and the central beams and side sills, andthe car-body secured to said ribs, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a freight-car, central beams, side sills, transverse beamsconnecting said central beams and side sills, a frame erectedat each endof the car, ribs extending longitudinally of the body of the car andsupported by said frames and the central beams and side sills, andacar-body supported by said ribs having its bottom ends and sides made oftimber and a hopper formed of metal plates, substantially as shown anddescribed.

5. In a freight-car, central beams of the I- beam type, side sills madeof channel-steel, transverse beams connecting said central beams andside sills, a frame erected at each end of the car, ribs extendinglongitudinally of the body of the car and supported by said frames andthe central beams and side sills, and a car-body supported by said ribshaving its bottom ends and sides made of timber and ahopper formed ofmetal plates, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a freight-car, dump-openings at each side of the car,vertically-sliding doors to cover said dump-openings, a shaft suitablyjournaled, an arm secured to said shaft on each side of the car, linkspivotally connecting each arm with the door on the corresponding side ofthe car, and means to operate said arms, substantially as shown anddescribed 7 In a freight-car, acar-body suitably supported. and builtpartly of metal plates and partly of timber',dump-openings at each sideof the car, a shaft journaled in the car-body, an arm secured to saidshaft on each side of the car, links pivotally connecting each arm withthe door on the corresponding side of the car, and means to operate saidarms, substantially as shown and described. 7

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS F. BURKE.

Witnesses:

HARRY K. GREGORY, THoMAs W. DIOKEY.

